Outdoor events banned on St. Armands Circle during season

Published: Monday, December 2, 2013 at 10:05 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, December 2, 2013 at 10:05 p.m.

SARASOTA - No more permits for outdoor events at St. Armands Circle will be issued during the peak tourist season this winter and spring, according to a moratorium ordered by the City Commission Monday night.

The temporary ban, supported by many local merchants, would allow no more special events in the St. Armands Circle Park from Feb. 1 to April 20. Meanwhile, city staff are working on an ordinance to make the seasonal ban permanent.

For years, City Hall has honored an informal agreement with St. Armands merchants and residents to avoid permitting special events there during the peak tourist season. The events do little to help business, merchants say, because the area is already crowded, and the added traffic becomes a major headache for visitors and residents. But that agreement, made years ago, was never properly recorded or codified into law.

When events have been scheduled in the park during the high season, it's been disruptive, said Diana Corrigan, executive director of the St. Armands Circle Association, which represents merchants there. “It's a terrible problem,” Corrigan said. “Regular customers will stay away because of the traffic.”

Recently, City Attorney Bob Fournier suggested that the city put an ordinance in writing so that special event applications at St. Armands could be denied without risking legal challenges or complaints of discrimination. City staff are working on one now, but it will be months before it is ready. In the meantime, the City Commission voted on a temporary ban for the coming year. A classic antique car show on March 22 could be exempted from the ban because organizers have already applied for a permit, Fournier said. The future ordinance could take effect starting next year, and would apply from Feb. 1 to April 15 or Easter — whichever occurs last.

In other business:

• Some downtown retail businesses, such as bookstores, will be allowed to start keeping outdoor tables and pianos on Main Street's newly-widened sidewalks, at least on a temporary basis. The City Commission voted 4-1 Monday to approve a 180-day trial period for a change to a city ordinance allowing retail establishments that don't serve food or alcohol to keep outdoor tables in the style of outdoor cafes. The current city ordinance permits only businesses that serve food to move tables and chairs outside, but Parker's Books, at 1488 Main St., sought permission to set up tables for chess and book signings. City Engineer Alex Davis Shaw said city staff will hold talks with downtown merchants and residents before proposing a permanent ordinance. A similar trial period was approved for up to six pianos to be used downtown under the supervision of the Arts and Culture Alliance. Vice Mayor Willie Shaw voted against the measure.

• The city will not be able to buy a vacant parcel of land at the corner of Hampton Road and Tamiami Trail in order to solve a dispute between the property owner and nearby residents, City Attorney Robert Fournier reported. Residents in the Tahiti Park neighborhood are opposing the opening of a wellness spa at 1174 and 1186 Hampton Road, pointing to irregularities in the reclassification of the land by city planners five years ago. But Fournier said the property's classification as commercial appears valid, and the property owners, represented by Steve Bedi and Rejuvenation Media, LLC, are not interested in selling the property. Bedi will have to return to City Hall with a site plan and apply to rezone the property before he can open the business, Fournier said.

• Paid parking will not come to the Palm Avenue parking garage this January as planned. City Commissioners voted 4-1 to delay starting paid parking at the garage, after Steven Seidensticker, owner of Louies Modern Restaurant, asked commissioners to delay it until after the tourist season. Downtown businesses are still hurting from this summer's Main Street construction, and the weakness of the larger economy, Seidensticker said, and he was afraid paid parking would drive people away. “I think we should be very careful,” he said. “It's a very fragile situation right now.”

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